Hair Benefits Of Apple Cider Vinegar

A few days ago, my neighbor, Jill, sent a message stating she did a deep conditioning treatment using cucumber and sour cream on her hair. Two shampoos later and her hair still smells sour. I told her to try rinsing with the smelly goodness of apple cider vinegar by massaging her scalp, then follow up with a moisturizing conditioner. Apple cider vinegar has antibacterial properties that should be able to clarify out whatever stink is left on the strands. She’s used it as a facial toner, but never considered using it on her hair.

Apple cider vinegar is “a type of vinegar made from cider or apple must and has a pale to medium amber color. Unpasteurized or organic ACV contains mother of vinegar, which has a cobweb-like appearance and can make the vinegar look slightly congealed,” according to Wikipedia. I’ve seen the phrase, “with the mother,” on brands such as Bragg, but didn’t have any idea what that meant. The Bragg containers mention “Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, used it for its amazing natural cleansing, healing and energizing health qualities” circa 400 B.C. You can use it as a cleansing agent in replacement of Windex or some bleach-laden scrub. Claims have recently been made that it can also be used for weight loss, portion control, and regulating blood sugar. WebMD quotes Carol Johnston, PhD of Arizona State University as saying “its anti-glycemic effect is well-documented. It blocks some of the digestion of starch by preventing some of it from being digested and raising your blood sugar.” Of course, you’d have to dilute it with water or its acidity could ruin your tooth enamel and burn your esophagus-www.webmd.com.

That acidity has a pH balance of 2.9 which can naturally restore hair’s pH of 4.5-5.5 by getting rid of the gunky buildup hair gains from pollution and/or styling products. The same happens when used as a facial toner-pH balance restored. I have used this stuff on my hair and on my 3 girls. After washing their hair 2x, little fuzzballs are sometimes still in there. So, when I saturated the hair with acv, water and extra virgin Olive Oil one day in sections, not only was I able to remove the last bits of buildup, but I was able to detangle like nobody’s business. I was expecting the hair to be hard and brittle, but it was so smooth. The hair wasn’t stripped by sulfates left behind by the shampoo either. Turns out, the natural remedy closes the cuticle giving you a smoother surface that’s also shinier and more manageable. I wish I knew about this stuff when the kids’ hair started to sprout its first kink because detangling all of these different textures would have gone by so much…smoother. It also has the power to get rid of dandruff and help with hair loss at a great price and without harmful chemicals. Just ask Jacquelyn Byers. She wrote on her blog, LittleOwlCrunchyMomma, about using acv and baking soda occasionally to wash her hair instead of shampoo for 5yrs. Her hair is the “healthiest it’s been in a long time” and doesn’t smell nasty. I remember hearing about that story on the “Today Show.” The majority of the critics were grossed out about it, but the hosts didn’t notice a foul smell.

Not using shampoo at all is not for me, but an occasional acv rinse is truly a must-do…despite my nose hairs burning off due to the smell. That’s quickly taken care of though, by a great smelling, moisturizing conditioner on super detangled, shiny hair. At our local Wegmans, 1gal of Bragg Organic Rawis available for $15.99. Great Value brand @Wal-Mart is $3.83 for 1gal. Braggcan also be ordered online from there. Hopefully, Jill was able to take care of the sour smell from her treatment. Before you know it, we’ll all have an entire salad on our heads just to get that hair back to fabulosity!